Senator Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, the ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee, tells National Review Online that he will “postpone” the nomination of Chuck Hagel, President Obama’s nominee for secretary of defense.

“I’ll do that for as long as it takes,” he says, firmly. “I’m going to make sure there is a 60-vote margin.”

“Hagel may be passed out of the committee, but it’s going to be a long, long time before he hits the floor,” Inhofe says. “We’re going to need as much time as possible, and there are going to be several of us who will have holds.”

“Each day that goes by will make it more difficult for Democrats who say they are pro-Israel to hold out,” Inhofe explains. “I want everyone to be very clear about his past statements and his positions.”

Inhofe says he will not block Hagel’s committee vote on Tuesday. Instead, he will focus entirely on an extended floor fight over the final confirmation. “He’s definitely going to make it out of the committee,” he predicts.

The Oklahoma senator, who has been one of Hagel’s fiercest critics, says that he will not walk out of the committee vote, as some have rumored.

Inhofe’s main concern remains Hagel’s position on Israel. “The anti-Israel history of Chuck Hagel is real,” he says. “We can’t have someone at the Pentagon who has made these kind of statements.”

Hagel’s financial-disclosure issues, he adds, are not central to why he’s working to postpone the nomination. “That doesn’t bother me,” he says. “To me, that’s minor.”

Religious fanatic Inhofe in 2002:

I believe very strongly that we ought to support Israel; that it has a right to the land. This is the most important reason: Because God said so. As I said a minute ago, look it up in the Book of Genesis. It is right up there on the desk. In Genesis 13:14–17, the Bible says:

The Lord said to Abraham, “Lift up now your eyes, and look from the place where you are northward, and southward, and eastward and westward: for all the land which you see, to you will I give it, and to your seed forever. . . . Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it to thee.” That is God talking.

The Bible says that Abraham removed his tent and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar before the Lord. Hebron is in the West Bank. It is at this place where God appeared to Abram and said, “I am giving you this land — the West Bank”. This is not a political battle at all. It is a contest over whether or not the word of God is true.

Emphasis mine. To borrow a conservative meme: if Inhofe loves Israel so much, he should go serve in the Knesset, not here.

Fundamentalism like this is not faith. It's a mental disorder. And it is close cousins with the same rigid theology that fuels jihad around the globe.

Fundamentalism like this is not faith. It's a mental disorder. And it is close cousins with the same rigid theology that fuels jihad around the globe.

This idea jives with much of what we have seen from the right. trickle down economics, for example, no proof that it works and plenty to show that it doesn't, but the GOP keeps pushing it. The idea that spending cuts will revive the economy even though looking around the globe at countries that implemented austerity measures will clearly show otherwise. The climate science "debate"? This is the appeal of the GOP to their largest and most reliable voting block, evangelicals, because if you as an individual are willing to dedicate your life to ideas and myths based solely on faith then why wouldn't you trust that your elected leaders (whom you support because of their religious beliefs) know what they are doing - even as evidence clearly indicates they are wrong?

Fundamentalism like this is not faith. It's a mental disorder. And it is close cousins with the same rigid theology that fuels jihad around the globe.

This idea jives with much of what we have seen from the right. trickle down economics, for example, no proof that it works and plenty to show that it doesn't, but the GOP keeps pushing it. The idea that spending cuts will revive the economy even though looking around the globe at countries that implemented austerity measures will clearly show otherwise. The climate science "debate"? This is the appeal of the GOP to their largest and most reliable voting block, evangelicals, because if you as an individual are willing to dedicate your life to ideas and myths based solely on faith then why wouldn't you trust that your elected leaders (whom you support because of their religious beliefs) know what they are doing - even as evidence clearly indicates they are wrong?

Perhaps.

I just don't understand this slavish devotion to Israeli priorities over American priorities. When someone said during the campaign that, if elected, GOPers would hold the inaugural in Tel Aviv, I really though it was a joke.

I think it is just a political lever, but it resonates with the right wing base for obvious reasons, and so blocking Hagel because of his previous comments on Israel won't cause any backlash. For the GOP its win and win.

Senator Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, the ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee, tells National Review Online that he will “postpone” the nomination of Chuck Hagel, President Obama’s nominee for secretary of defense.

“I’ll do that for as long as it takes,” he says, firmly. “I’m going to make sure there is a 60-vote margin.”

“Hagel may be passed out of the committee, but it’s going to be a long, long time before he hits the floor,” Inhofe says. “We’re going to need as much time as possible, and there are going to be several of us who will have holds.”

“Each day that goes by will make it more difficult for Democrats who say they are pro-Israel to hold out,” Inhofe explains. “I want everyone to be very clear about his past statements and his positions.”

Inhofe says he will not block Hagel’s committee vote on Tuesday. Instead, he will focus entirely on an extended floor fight over the final confirmation. “He’s definitely going to make it out of the committee,” he predicts.

The Oklahoma senator, who has been one of Hagel’s fiercest critics, says that he will not walk out of the committee vote, as some have rumored.

Inhofe’s main concern remains Hagel’s position on Israel. “The anti-Israel history of Chuck Hagel is real,” he says. “We can’t have someone at the Pentagon who has made these kind of statements.”

Hagel’s financial-disclosure issues, he adds, are not central to why he’s working to postpone the nomination. “That doesn’t bother me,” he says. “To me, that’s minor.”

Religious fanatic Inhofe in 2002:

I believe very strongly that we ought to support Israel; that it has a right to the land. This is the most important reason: Because God said so. As I said a minute ago, look it up in the Book of Genesis. It is right up there on the desk. In Genesis 13:14–17, the Bible says:

The Lord said to Abraham, “Lift up now your eyes, and look from the place where you are northward, and southward, and eastward and westward: for all the land which you see, to you will I give it, and to your seed forever. . . . Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it to thee.” That is God talking.

The Bible says that Abraham removed his tent and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar before the Lord. Hebron is in the West Bank. It is at this place where God appeared to Abram and said, “I am giving you this land — the West Bank”. This is not a political battle at all. It is a contest over whether or not the word of God is true.

Emphasis mine. To borrow a conservative meme: if Inhofe loves Israel so much, he should go serve in the Knesset, not here.

Fundamentalism like this is not faith. It's a mental disorder. And it is close cousins with the same rigid theology that fuels jihad around the globe.

I would like to respond, but jedwarnicky say that I can't bring religion into the argument. Only anti-religious input is allowed.

And are they suggesting that he's going to ignore Obama and do whatever he pleases based on his religious views?

Nothing. He noted that Capitol Hill lobbying efforts for the state of Israel intimidates a lot of legislators. At issue is his use of the phrase "jewish lobby". It really is much ado about nothing. He isn't the first to note that some lobby groups have an outsized influence in Washington, (NRA anyone) and in the case of Israel where we spend billions of dollars in direct aide, and as a result billions more in countries that have peace treaties with Israel, some have questioned whether the perpetual war in the middle east is something that will ever be resolved or if it is just a blackhole for tax payer dollars. Why shouldn't we ask that question? Its the most obvious lever we have in influencing policy and no one wants to pull it because they are afraid of being labelled anti semites.

Meanwhile, the GOP has no issue with taking away funding for actual americans be it healthcare, unemployment insurance, school funding, etc. It's absurd political theater.

It might about religion for Sen. Inhofe but the basic issue is not one of religion as far as US support of Israel is concerned.

What makes you so blind to evil? You justify shooting missiles from drones in Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, etc. yet you have a problem supporting a productive, democratic state under siege by surrounding terrorists?

The reason this conflict goes on forever is because of people that are blind to the truth as you are, and oil of course.

In a few years, it is predicted that the US will be energy dependent. We will see how much the Arab oil counts then and the anti-semites will be exposed. Don't forget to wear some underwear.

Again, that's not really true. The christian conservative community (mostly gop) is thick with this type of talk which filtered into the gop primary and figured prominently, and worse...paid much, much more courtesy to the Israeli president than to our own.

"Evil" = dogma. Try to stay on point. It's not about oil, either, and there are terrorists in many places. So what.

There's a sincere difference between supporting another nation's bid for peace and quite another to advance their priorities over american priorities...

....and that's exactly what is going on when a decorated American Vietnam Veteran is being blocked from the SecDef job over a few deftless comments (i.e. the thread topic).

A delicious irony: While there's about to be a fierce show of unity among Washington republicans, the harder they drive the issue, valiantly inveighing against a republican, the more they demonstrate in one fell swoop the divisions and intolerance among republicans. There was an opportunity to demonstrate the big tent, tolerance for a variety of opinions among republicans by letting this go by. But instead, money is talking.